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Refugee leaders in Moria unite against Maarten Verwey's implementation of EU-#Turkey declaration

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maxresdefaultToday (11 January) for the first time, community leaders from all the different nationalities represented in the Moria Refugee Camp on Lesvos united to respond to the bizarre legal framework which has left them stranded here. In an open letter to Maarten Verwey (pictured), co-ordinator of the implementation of the EU-Turkey Agreement, they challenged the direction the Commission is taking and gave a first-hand account of what effect these made-in-Brussels policies are having on them.
They responded to the December 8 Joint Action Plan with a series of recommendations to the co-ordinator:

1. All return of refugees to Turkey violates refugee rights and should be stopped. The new plan to deport even those who have a right to family reunification in Europe and vulnerable individuals is particular disgraceful and violates the most basic human rights of refugees, including the right to family unity, and to be free from torture, inhuman treatment and arbitrary detention.

2. Rather than increase Border Patrol presence in hotspots and between EU Member States, as is Verwey's new plan, the European Commission should dedicate resources improve conditions in Greece, and in particular in hotspots. Current conditions in Moria Camp mean that women do not use the bathrooms at night for fear of being sexually assaulted, no one has access to hot water, and unaccompanied minors are kept in prison conditions inside the camp.

3. The delays in the procedures in Moria Camp and low approval rating in Greece (one of the lowest in Europe) mean that many refugees are unable to exercise their rights in Greece. If these procedures are improved, fewer refugees will need to irregularly leave Greece to reach safety in other European states.

4. Community leaders invite European Commission members to visit Moria to in order to learn first hand of horrible, inhumane conditions in which refugees live, before making policies that impact the lives of those who have already gone through incredible trauma fleeing persecution and war, seeking refuge in Europe.

The full text of their letter is available online through the Lesvos Legal Center.

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